🦂

i’ve been floating in the atmosphere of fog,

catching glances of my earth beneath.

the dusting of snow that came with the new year

compels this sober reflection:

2023 was a year of sopor,

of dull dreams in a city of concrete,

of gray cubicles in a cold office,

of commuting down the highway to nowhere.

i’ve resorted to pillaging pharmacies

just to suck up to corporate slavery,

not just since this morning's phone call

but since that stubborn lump pulled the rope

set a pace to our grief and its growth

my grandmother lived as well as she could

spun pure class from this world's raw material

you couldn't catch her without her pearls of wisdom

a hospital wouldn't suit her even still

as she took her dying breath in her boudoir

her three children took on the legacy of her potential

her delicate hands, her keen eyes, her strong head

i promise her they will never fall into disuse

the sun has finally set on my grandmother

the bells have stopped ringing

i release her with this topical psalm